Minutes of Meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee held in Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 21 September 2006 at 10.30 a.m.
Present:
Mr A Anderson, Mr A M Millar, Mr R Saxon, Mr T Jackson, Ms K MacNab, Mr W A Mowat, Mrs A L Magee, Mr D Allan, Mrs J Urquhart, Mr R Durham, Mrs M E Paterson, Mr D Chisholm, Mrs A MacLean, Mrs I McCallum, Mr H Fraser, Mrs I Campbell, Mr P Corbett, Mr R A C Balfour, Mrs M C Davidson, Mr W J Smith, Mr A Milne, Mr D M Henderson, Mrs J N Home, Mr J N Matheson, Mr L Fraser, Mrs S Slimon, Mr G Rimell, Mr T MacLennan, Dr M E M Foxley, Mr N M Clark, Rev A Sinclair, Mr J McDonald,
Non-Members also present:
Mr D Mackay, Mr D C M Flear, Mr J H Green, Mrs V MacIver, Mr D W Briggs, Mr W Fulton, Mr J T MacDonald, Mr B Murphy
In Attendance:
Mr B Robertson, Director of Education, Culture and Sport
Mr H Fraser, Head of Support Services, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr D MacDonald, Head of Education Service, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr I Murray, Head of Community Learning and Leisure, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr R Mackenzie, Finance Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr G Watson, Community Development Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr B Hemming, Schools Estate Strategy Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr L Young, Area Education Manager, Skye and Lochalsh
Ms E Johnston, Policy Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms L Mann, Sexual Health Development Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms M McCarrell, Quality Development Officer (Strategic Initiatives), Education, Culture and Sport
Mr W Mackay, Youth Golf Development Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Mrs J MacKenzie, Administrative Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr J Allison, Principal Administrator, Corporate Services
Miss J Maclennan, Committee Administrator, Corporate Services
Mr A Anderson in the Chair
Business
An asterisk in the margin demotes a recommendation to the Council. All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.
Preliminaries
Rev A Sinclair opened the meeting with prayer.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr A J Dick and Rev A Glass.
2. Successes
The Committee NOTED a list of recent successes and AGREED that their congratulations be conveyed to those concerned:-
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The Minister for Education and Young People had welcomed more than 120 probationer teachers who would be working in Highland schools, some of whom would be employed in Gaelic Medium units.
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Claire Gardner and Megan Coghill, S6 Thurso High School had taken part in the Nuffield Bursary, carrying out a scientific research project at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso. They also participated in the BA Crest Award scheme.
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An 11 year old Skye primary pupil had achieved an A grade in Higher Music, the youngest pupil in Scotland to achieve this distinction.
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Cauldeen Primary P1/2 pupils had won a UK national e-twinning award for their Health and Healthy Lifestyles project called “Chocolate and Chips”.
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Stratherrick Primary was joint winner of the Beechgrove Garden Potting Shed competition.
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Raigmore Primary was to represent Scotland at the UK Healthy Living Awards Finals in London in October.
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Dochgarroch Primary School had won their second Eco Green Flag.
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Gina Malone, S5, and Ryan Gow, S6, Kingussie High School had addressed the annual HMIe Conference about the importance of inclusion in Highland Schools.
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All Eden Court Higher Dance and Drama students had passed their SQA examinations with 22 students achieving A grade passes.
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North Kessock Primary School quiz team had reached the Scottish Rotary Quiz finals and were awarded the Scottish Rotary Quiz Team Champions title for 2006.
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34 primary schools and nurseries were successful in bidding for a total of £31,000 grant funding through the National Home Reading Initiative scheme.
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The Service had made a successful bid for £600,000 funding for a Leadership Development Programme for the next two years.
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The Blas festival had been a huge success with many of the 43 performances playing to packed houses. Indications were that more than 5000 tickets had been sold. A briefing to Members would be made at the Committee’s next meeting outlining in more detail the success of Blas;
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Representatives of Lyreco presented prizes to the winners and to teachers representing the schools which had taken part in the annual Lyreco Calendar Design Competition.
Reference was also made to a pupil from Dornoch Academy who had won a place at Oxford University. The Academy was also renting a unit in the Industrial Estate with the aim of improving vocational opportunities.
3. Revenue Budget 2006/07 - Monitoring
There had been circulated Report No ECS 48/06 dated 11 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on Revenue Expenditure in the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period 1 April to 31 July 2006. Expenditure information to 31 August was now available and the projected overspend had reduced from £565,000 to £485,000. Main budget pressures remained school transport, administration and Leisure Centres. Escalating energy costs also continued to have a significant impact on devolved school budgets and therefore it was unclear to what degree the 2006/07 savings target of £6.863m would be met. A system had been introduced to allow remedial action to be taken timeously at those schools that might breach the 3% carry forward deficit figure.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the financial issues highlighted in the report;
ii. that potential overspends within the devolved sector would be addressed in
conjunction with Area Education Managers and Head Teachers;
iii. that a mid year financial report would be brought to the Committee
meeting on 9 November 2006, by which time all existing areas of
uncertainty would be known;
and APPROVED:-
iv. the continuing policy of financial restraint and other management action in
order to achieve a balanced budgetary position by the end of the financial
year.
4. Capital Expenditure 2006/07 - Monitoring
There had been circulated Report No ECS 49/06 dated 13 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing capital monitoring information on the Education, Culture and Sport Committee for the period 1 April to 31 August 2006 based on the approved March 2006 capital programme. A revised capital programme, including a flexibility bid for 2010/11, would be brought to the Committee’s next meeting as would proposals for the use of the £1.344m allocated to Highland from the Scottish Executive as a “one off” addition to the Schools Building Improvement Fund for 2006/07.
Following discussion regarding the condition of a number of synthetic pitches in Highland, the Committee NOTED the report and AGREED to homologate the decisions to:-
i. purchase and install new equipment within Secondary School Technical
Rooms as detailed in the report; and
ii. award the contract for the synthetic pitch rejuvenation at Naver Park,
Thurso and Kinlochbervie High School.
5. Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan 2005-2007/08 –
Progress Report and Review
There had been circulated Report No ECS 50/06 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which detailed the key outcomes of the stocktaking exercise carried out by the Service’s Management Team on Service wide progress for year one of the Plan. The review demonstrated a wide range of activity and considerable success in delivering the improvement targets set within the five Improvement Themes as well as making recommendations for amendments and supplementary improvement objectives. A number of major influences were likely to affect the review of the Service Plan, namely, the Council’s Best Value Review, preparation for the Service’s second inspection by HMIe under a reviewed framework, the development of the Curriculum for Excellence within the Ambitious Excellent Schools framework and the roll-out of the Scottish Schools Digital Network.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED progress to date on the delivery of the Service Plan objectives for
2005-2007/08;
ii. APPROVED the proposed amended or new improvement objectives for the
period 2006-2008 as detailed in the report; and
iii. AGREED a report on the effect the Scottish Schools Digital Network will
have on schools be submitted to a future meeting.
6. Education, Culture and Sport Service – Performance Report April to
June 2006
There had been circulated Report No ECS 51/06 dated 7 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing performance information on the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period April to June 2006, Quarter One of financial year 2006/07. The report covered progress on the Service Plan, elements of For Highland’s Children 2 and the Corporate Plan where the Service had a lead in delivering improvement. It also provided information on staffing issues, complaints and Freedom of Information enquiries.
The Committee NOTED the Service’s Performance data for the period April to June 2006.
7. Consultation on a Proposal to Designate Sleat Primary School, Isle
of Skye as a Dedicated Gaelic School
In terms of Standing Order 13.2, Mr W Fulton had applied for and been granted a local Member vote.
There had been circulated Report No ECS 52/06 dated 12 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport detailing the outcome of the statutory consultation process carried out on proposals to change provision of education in Sleat Primary School. The options given in the statutory consultation document were for the Status Quo (Option A) or Sleat Primary School being designated as a Gaelic School (Option B).
The Director provided background information on Sleat Primary School and explained the consultation process that had been followed. The rolls of both the Gaelic and English medium units were detailed. He also summarised the content of the representations received and referred to the issues highlighted. In formulating a recommendation, the Council’s duty to pupils in the Sleat area and to the whole community had been borne in mind together with the views of the Skye and Lochalsh Area Committee. There were few locations in Highland which could support a stand-alone Gaelic Medium School and if such a proposal was agreed for Sleat Primary, with Broadford Primary situated 17 miles away, the distances involved for young English medium school children could be viewed as excessive. The policy and practical aspects of suggestions made had been investigated and, accordingly, he had recommended that from August 2007 a dedicated Gaelic School be established at Sleat Primary but with provision made within the school for an English medium department for families who wished it. This would mean that Gaelic would be included in the curriculum for all pupils attending Sleat Primary and the English medium pupils would be fully integrated into school activities. The formation of an Implementation Plan for the new provision taking into account the views of parents and teachers and the advice of officials of the Education, Culture and Sport Service would be required. He confirmed that he had advice that the recommendation was legally competent as the consultation had considered a change of status to a Gaelic medium school and the introduction of an English department was ancillary to this.
Mr W Fulton, the local Member, emphasised that the views of the current and future parents of Sleat Primary were paramount. He pointed out that the consultation had only considered two options. As no views had been sought on the recommendation now before Members he strongly urged that this should take place. He questioned the validity of some of the consultation letters as suggestions had been made that some had been prepared on behalf of other people and that others had come from unoccupied holiday homes. He referred to the opposing views of the Community Council and the Community Trust and pointed out that the School Board had not submitted a view.
During the course of discussion the following views were expressed:-
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Council policy supported the establishment of a Gaelic only school in Sleat and the Gaelic Education and Early Years Strategy emphasised that the best hope for the survival of Gaelic was Gaelic medium education with consideration being given to establishing free-standing Gaelic Primary Schools where feasible;
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the key objective of the Council’s Gaelic Language and Culture Plan was to increase the number of Gaelic speakers and a Gaelic Medium School would provide an opportunity for the Council to proactively promote Gaelic education and its positive benefits;
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the main growth in Gaelic medium pupil numbers had been in Glasgow where there was a dedicated Gaelic school, supporting the argument for a Gaelic Medium School in Sleat. The creation of such a school would help achieve the Scottish Executive target of increasing the number of pupils in Gaelic medium primary education by 20% by 2009;
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Gaelic departments in schools did not afford Gaelic equal status with English and in many communities it was Gaelic medium pupils who travelled long distances to school;
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learning a language at an early age helped further language learning and total immersion produced bilingual children;
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there were economic benefits from encouraging Gaelic in the area and, if the high number of Gaelic speakers in Sleat was to be maintained, Gaelic education was vital;
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organisations such as Bord Na Gaidhlig were willing to take the proposal forward by making simultaneous translation equipment available to the school as part of a pilot so that non-Gaelic speaking pupils and parents could participate fully in school activities;
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disappointment was expressed that the consultation had caused divisions in the community and that, in time, a Gaelic School would have evolved naturally at Sleat;
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if the recommendation was approved Sleat Primary should act as a pilot study so that the situation could be monitored and reviewed;
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it was vital there were adequate numbers of Gaelic medium teachers for all levels and that there was capacity for expansion at Sleat Primary School;
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to become a truly dedicated Gaelic Primary School the Implementation Plan had to address all issues to ensure positive action was taken and it was not just tokenism;
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as not all English medium education children lived in Sleat, a transfer to Broadford would mean some pupils travelling further than 17 miles and it was vital therefore that English medium education continued to provided at Sleat Primary for as long as there was demand and it was viable; and
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it was important to explain how children with learning difficulties would be taught if the school became Gaelic medium.
In response to questions raised, the Director reiterated that his recommendation did not mean any pupil would have to travel to Broadford Primary for English medium provision. There was however capacity at that school should parents wish to send their children there but, given the distances involved, he thought this was unlikely. The close proximity of Sabhal Mor Ostaig would mean that it would be relatively easy for Sleat Primary to get Learning Support and Classroom Assistants. There were no staffing implications arising from the proposal and many Gaelic Medium teachers sought job opportunities in Skye. The proposal would result in all pupils, including those in the English medium department, being bilingual although not necessarily bilingually literate. Reference had been made to the divisions the consultation had caused but this was more in the community than in the school. He assured Members that there was adequate accommodation available and part of the Implementation Plan would ensure there was a bilingual ethos in place and that pupils integrated and worked together as a whole.
After further discussion, Mr A M Millar, seconded by Mr H Fraser, MOVED that the Committee recommend to the Council that:-
i. from August 2007 a dedicated Gaelic School be established at Sleat Primary
School as a pilot with provision being made within the school for an English
medium department for families who wished it; and
ii. an Implementation Plan be established for the new provision taking into
account the views of parents and teachers and the advice of officials of the
Education, Culture and Sport Service.
Mr W Fulton, seconded by Mr W A Mowat, moved as an AMENDMENT that the Council maintain the status quo at Sleat Primary School.
On a vote being taken the outcome was as follows:-
For the Motion:-
Mr R Saxon, Mrs A L Magee, Mrs J Urquhart, Mr A Anderson, Mr R Durham, Mrs A MacLean, Mr A M Millar, Mrs I M Campbell, Mr P Corbett, Mr R A C Balfour, Mrs M C Davidson, Mr A Milne, Mrs J N Home, Mr L Fraser, Mrs S Slimon, Mr G Rimell, Dr M E M Foxley, Mr N M Clark.
For the Amendment:-
Mr T Jackson, Mr W A Mowat, Mr D Allan, Mr D J Chisholm, Mrs I McCallum, Mr W Fulton, Mr W J Smith, Mr D M Henderson, Mr J N Matheson, Mr T J MacLennan, Mr J McDonald, Rev A Sinclair
* The Motion was CARRIED by 19 votes to 12.
8. School Transport Retendering Exercise
There had been circulated Report No ECS 53/06 dated 11 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing detail on the current status of the tendering exercise for school transport provision for the five year period from 2007-2011. Quotations had been received for 483 of the 494 routes with the outstanding 11 routes being retendered together with 15 contracts where the costs were considered excessive. The exercise had been undertaken in conjunction with TEC Services and 49 contracts had been awarded jointly as public service routes. The estimated cost of new school transport arrangements was approximately £7.4m, an increase of 7%, less than the average 11% price increases nationally. Contractors had been asked to provide a business profile and detailed information on the vehicle maintenance regime to ensure that they were not over stretching themselves. Members were also advised that the new regulations in relation to booster seats for children under 3 or children aged 3-11 but under 1.5m tall excluded buses, coaches, minibuses and licensed taxis.
The Committee NOTED the current position in regard to the retendering of school transport provision and AGREED that a further report be provided to Members to give the final detail of school transport provision for the period commencing in January 2007 and that this further report take account of any retendering of contracts.
9. Consultation on a Site for a New Aviemore Primary School
There had been circulated Report No ECS 54/06 dated 7 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which recommended a statutory consultation be undertaken to identifying a suitable site for the new Aviemore Primary School.
The Committee AGREED that:-
i. a statutory consultation be undertaken on a site for the new Aviemore
Primary School; and
ii. in order for locally based consultation to commence, consultation papers be
drawn up for the consideration by the Badenoch and Strathspey Area
Committee, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the
Education, Culture and Sport Committee.
10. Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Bill
There had been circulated Report No ECS 55/06 dated 8 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport advising on progress with the new Scottish School (Parental Involvement) Act which aimed to encourage more parents to become involved in their children’s education. To plan and progress the implementation of the Act locally a Project Board and Implementation Team had been created, the remit, roles and the timescales involved which were explained. Preparatory work had also begun in establishing Parent Councils and support materials produced by the Scottish Executive had been made available to local authorities, schools and parents. All parents would automatically become part of the School’s Parent Forum but a further round of consultation meetings was planned early in 2007 to advise parents of progress.
In response to Members’ questions, it was explained a degree of flexibility was built into the Act to enable schools wishing to carry on with a School Board style of Parent Council to do so. The situation regarding Parent Teacher Associations was less clear but investigations would continue and parents advised through regular newsletters produced by the Implementation Team. For the next two academic sessions Scottish Executive funding for Parent Councils would be in addition to what was presently given to School Boards.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the content of the report;
ii. the Scottish Executive Circular “Commencement of the Scottish Schools
(Parental Involvement) Act 2006” and, in particular, the suggested timeline
for implementation;
and AGREED:-
iii. the proposed way ahead for implementation of the Parental Involvement
Act within Highland; and
iv. further reports on a draft Council schemes for Parental Involvement and for
the appointment of school promoted post holders be submitted to the
Committee in due course.
11. NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) Strategy
There had been circulated Report No ECS 56/06 dated 11 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining the Authority’s proposals to establish a Highland implementation strategy following the Scottish Executive’s publication of its Strategy “More Choices, More Chances”, the aim of which had been to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Scotland. As young people experiencing NEET were more likely to become economically inactive, the strategy sought to identify the various groups most likely to be affected. A seminar had been held with key partner organisations and with the aim of establishing a framework for a Highland NEET Strategy with an integrated approach. The Scottish Executive had allocated £75,000 per annum for the current and next financial year to support developments with further funding to Highland for the development and introduction of a Psychological Service for young people.
In discussion, it was recognised that developments in the curriculum had helped to address various issues but there was still work to be done and it was important that the NEET Strategy was a main focus of the Highland Council after next year’s election. As the Strategy Group brought forward reports it would also be beneficial for the Joint Committee on Children and Young People to consider them. Specific target setting would also assist communities in gauging the effect of the strategy.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the launch of the National Strategy to reduce the proportion of young
people not in education, employment or training;
ii. the proposed action by the Council to progress a Highland-wide strategy in
collaboration with key partners;
and AGREED that:-
iii. a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee once a
draft framework and targets had been established for the Highland NEET
Strategy; and
iv. reports also be considered by the Joint Committee on Children and Young
People.
12. Second Highland Sexual Health Strategy
There had been circulated Report No ECS 57/06 dated 30 August 2006 providing Members with the background to, and some key points from, the development of the second Highland Sexual Health Strategy. The first strategy had achieved significant improvements in key areas, notably the drop in teenage pregnancy rates in the 13-15 age group. The second strategy had been developed under the guidance of a multi-agency group and had included public consultation. The Highland Sexual Health Strategy, which complemented the National Strategy, was for the whole of the Highland population but also set out clear aims in relation to young people. The financial implications were also outlined and the provision of training to teachers was highlighted in particular.
The Committee APPROVED the Highland Sexual Health Strategy.
13. Highland Junior Golf Strategy Implementation
There had been circulated Report No ECS 58/06 dated 8 September 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining the progress made since the launch of the Highland Junior Golf Strategy which sought to introduce all Highland Primary 5 pupils to golf and to develop opportunities for junior golf in local clubs so that children could progress their skills. A presentation was made to Members highlighting the positive impact the strategy had on junior golf and detailing future targets. Golf Clubs had been particularly supportive of the initiative in Highland and funding had helped improve facilities and extend coaching capacity. Golf was seen as a core activity in the proposed Celtic Games programme as part of Highland 2007 and a pan-Highland Junior Golf competition was to be launched in March 2007.
Following discussion, where support was sought for the continuation in the future of various junior golf competitions and particular success was referred to, the Committee NOTED the significant progress achieved with implementation of the Highland Junior Golf Strategy and AGREED that development against the Strategy targets continued to be monitored and reported to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.
14. Minutes of Meetings
The Committee dealt with the following Minutes of the Meetings, copies of which had been circulated, as follows:-
i NOTED Minutes of the Education Transport Appeals Committee held on 6
September 2006; and
ii. APPROVED Minutes of the Duncraig Castle Working Group held on 6
September 2006.
The meeting ended at 1.35 p.m.